Nikki Haley fails to mention slavery as cause of the Civil War during New Hampshire town hall

Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate, did not mention slavery as a primary cause of the Civil War, giving challengers possible ammo as the former South Carolina governor rises in the polls ahead of the start of GOP primaries next month.

Haley was pressed by a voter during a town hall event in New Hampshire on Wednesday to identify the cause of the Civil War, resulting in a lengthy back-and-forth as she avoided mentioning slavery altogether. Haley took a different approach: blaming the conflict on the role the government was going to play.

“I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run,” she said. “The freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do.”